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Hakodate Half Celebrates 25 Years With Wins From Gizae and Kato

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/sapporo-news/20150628/5792931.html

translated by Brett Larner

Now in its 25th year, 4500 runners from across the country ran Hokkaido's Hakodate Half Marathon on June 28, coming for the seaside course and staying for the legendary hot spring resorts.  A fall race up to now, this year the Hakodate Half saw its entry numbers swell by 1000 this year with a move to a June race date. 

The race began at 8:00 sharp with the firing of a gun at Chiyogadai Field in Hakodate.  A light rain left runners shivering before the start, but things warmed up over the 21 km seaside course with enthusiastic cheering from roadside spectators.  One participant, a firefighter from Tokyo, commented, "This was both a race for me and a vacation for my family.  I really enjoyed the scenery along the course while I ran."

Kenyan Mitchell Gizae (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) won the men's race in 1:02:29, while Asami Kato (Team Panasonic) was the women's winner in 1:12:21.

25th Hakodate Half Marathon
Hakodate, Hokkaido, 6/28/15
click here for complete results

Men's Half Marathon
1. Mitchell Gizae (Suzuki Hamamatsu AC) - 1:02:29
2. Kazuki Tomaru (Team Toyota) - 1:03:01
3. Yoshihiro Yamamoto (Team NTN) - 1:03:02
4. Takuya Noguchi (Team Konica Minolta) - 1:03:02
5. Yuya Ito (Team Toyota) - 1:03:22

Women's Half Marathon
1. Asami Kato (Team Panasonic) - 1:12:21
2. Yukiko Okuno (Team Shiseido) - 1:12:42
3. Yuko Mizuguchi (Team Denso) - 1:13:19
4. Miya Nishio (Team Hokuren) - 1:14:10
5. Yukie Nagata (Rafine) - 1:18:22
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